The present invention relates to a game machine, which is installed in an amusement arcade or the like, for performing a game in which a game value is transferred between an owner and at least one player. Specifically, the present invention relates to a game machine and a method of performing a game executed therein, which allows game participants to enter the game effected by the game machine as players by accepting predetermined game values from the game participants and which pay, to players, game values corresponding to an amount of game values accepted from the players when the players have satisfied predetermined requirements in the game.
There has hitherto been employed a game machine which artificially reproduces a gambling game to be performed in a casino, such as roulette or blackjack, by executing a suitable computer program. For instance, there are mentioned a roulette game machine and a blackjack game machine, which are installed in an amusement arcade. In connection with the roulette game machine, a game participant; that is, a player, predicts the number that will come up on the roulette wheel and bets on the predicted number a gaming token or chip (i.e., a game value) possessed by the player. If the thus-betted number has hit, the player can receive a predetermined number of gaming tokens from the owner; i.e., the owner. In connection with the blackjack game machine, a game participant acts as a player and plays a match with the owner. When having won the match, the player can receive a predetermined number of gaming tokens from the owner.
In such a roulette game machine, the game participant can hitherto enter a game only as a player. In addition to the roulette game machine and the blackjack game machine, a poker game machine or the like has also been known. However, such a game machine also enables a game participant to enter a game only as a player.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a game machine and a game performing method, which can provide a new entertainment value to game participants by adding a new game element to a game, wherein game values are transferred between the owner and players.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a game machine, comprising:
a game executer, which executes a game in which game values are transferred between an owner and at least one player;
an entry authorizer, which receives a first amount of game values and a player-payout requirement used in the game, from a game participant who wants to be authorized to entry the game as a player;
a player-payout requirement determinant, which judges whether the authorized player satisfies the player-payout requirement;
a player-payout performer, which pays out a second amount of game values to the player who satisfies the player-payout requirement, the second amount of game values being determined in accordance with the first amount of game values and the player-payout requirement;
an owner determinant, which determines an owner from the game participants in accordance with a predetermined owner requirement; and
an owner-payout performer, which pays out at least a part of a third amount of game values to the owner, in accordance with the predetermined owner-payout requirement, the third amount of game values being a total amount of the game values received by the entry authorizer.
In this configuration, a new game element; that is, the ability to enable entry of a user as the owner, is added to a game which involves the transfer of game values between the owner and players. There is yielded an advantage of ability to provide new game entertainment value to game participants.
In the game machine, the owner requirement may includes issuance of an owner entry request stating that a participant desires to participate as the owner and the amount of game values possessed by a participant.
Depending on the aspect or status of the game, various player-payout requirements are conceivable. For instance, in the case of a roulette game, the player-payout requirements correspond to occurrence of a match between numbers where tokens serving as the game values are bet and numbers determined by the roulette wheel. In the case of a blackjack game, hands of respective players to receive payouts must be closer to the number 21 than is the hand of a dealer.
Depending on the aspect or status of the game, various methods are conceivable as payout methods to be employed by the player-payout performer. For instance, there are conceived a method of paying game values from all the game values accepted in the game; a method of paying game values from the game values possessed by the owner; and a method of paying game values from the game values accumulated in the game machine.
Depending on the aspect or status of a game, various methods are conceivable as payout methods to be employed by the owner-payout performer. The payout method is determined in association with the payout method employed by the player-payout performer. For example, when a method of paying game values from the game values possessed by the owner is employed as a payout method, there may also be employed a method of paying to the owner all game values accepted from players.
Preferably, the owner-payout performer pays to the owner a part of a rest amount of game values obtained by subtracting a fourth amount of game values from the third amount of game values. The fourth amount game values is a total amount of the game values paid by the player-payout performer.
In this configuration, with a larger amount of game values received from the player and a smaller amount of game values paid to the player, the owner can receive a larger amount of game values. Particularly, when no player satisfies the player-payout requirements and no payout is performed, the owner can acquire all accepted game values. Thus, there can be developed a game in which the owner can expect high returns. Therefore, there is an advantage of ability to provide a higher degree of game entertainment.
Preferably, the player-payout performer pays out the second amount of game values from the third amount of game values.
In this configuration, a game can proceed such that the player and the owner attempt to acquire all the game values received from the player. Therefore, there is an advantage of ability to provide a higher degree of game entertainment to both of the player and the owner.
Here, it is preferable that the game machine further comprises an overpayment determinant which judges the fourth amount of game values exceeds the third amount of game values. The player-payout performer pays out an excess amount of game values from game values possessed by the owner, when the overpayment determinant judges the fourth amount of game values exceeds the third amount of game values.
In this configuration, when the total amount of game values to be paid to the player who satisfies the player-payout requirement has exceeded the total amount of game values received, the owner must pay, from his own game values, game values corresponding to an excess. Hence, a game participant who has become the owner can expect high returns with higher risks. Therefore, there is an advantage of ability to provide a higher degree of game entertainment to the participant acting as the owner.
Alternatively, the player-payout performer pays out the second amount of game values from game values possessed by the owner.
In this configuration, although the owner involves high risk, a confrontation between the player and the owner becomes definite. Therefore, there is an advantage of ability to provide a higher degree of game entertainment to both of the player and the owner.
In the above cases, it is preferable that the game machine further comprises a bonus presenter, which presents bonus game values to the player, when the excess amount of game values exceeds the game values possessed by the owner.
In this configuration, in addition to an objective of game, such as satisfying the player-payout requirement during the game, the player is provided with a bonus awarded when the owner has gone bankrupt. Hence, there is an advantage of ability to provide a higher degree of game entertainment to the player.
Preferably, the game machine further comprises an acceptance amount limiter, which delimits an upper limit of the first amount of game values in accordance with a predetermined acceptance requirement.
In this configuration, an upper limit of the second amount of game values can be delimited. By limiting the second amount of game values, the amount of game values paid from the game values possessed by the owner is limited. Thus, the owner can be imparted with certain protection by setting predetermined reception requirement, as required. Depending on the aspect or status of a game, various receipt requirements are conceivable. For instance, a requirement for preventing the maximum amount of game values to be paid by the owner from exceeding the amount of game values possessed by the owner.
Here, it is preferable that the game machine further comprises an upper-limit information receiver, which receives an upper limit information issued from the owner for determining the upper limit of the first amount of game values. The acceptance amount limiter utilizes the upper limit information as the acceptance requirement.
In this configuration, the upper limit of the amount of game values accepted from players can be limited on the basis of the owner""s wishes. For instance, if the owner desires low returns with low risks, the upper-limit information may be set such that the maximum amount of game values paid by the owner does not exceed a portion of the amount of game values possessed by the owner. In contrast, if the owner desires high returns with high risks, the upper-limit information can be set such that the maximum amount of game values paid by the owner exceeds the amount of game values possessed by the owner. Hence, there is an advantage of ability to control the game, which is entertainment unique to the owner. There is also an advantage of ability to enable the owner to control risks.
Preferably, the game machine further comprises an owner entry request receiver, which receives an owner entry request issued from a game participant who wants to participate in the game as an owner. The owner determinant determines the owner from at least one game participants who has issued the owner entry request.
In this configuration, it is possible to enable a game participants who wishes to be the owner to participate as the owner at his own will. If the number of game participants who desire to act as the owner is greater than a predetermined number, the owner may be determined from the game participants in accordance with a predetermined owner requirement.
Preferably, the owner requirement is that a participant who wants to participate the game as an owner has game values not less than a predetermined amount.
In this configuration, such a requirement poses a limitation on game participants who can become the owner, thereby enhancing the value of becoming the owner. Further, when game values are paid to the player from the owner, progress in a game may be hindered if the owner does not have a certain amount of game values. Even in such a case, the above-described requirement enable smooth progress in a game.
Preferably, the game machine further comprises:
an acceptance termination request receiver, which receives an acceptance termination request from the owner to terminate a period in which the entry authorizer receives the game values from the player; and
an acceptance refuser, which refuses to receive the game values from the player, when the acceptance termination request receiver receives the acceptance termination request.
In this configuration, the owner can control a progress in game by advancing or delaying progress of a game. There is an advantage of the ability to enable a game participant who has become the owner to enjoy entertainment, such as operation of progress of a game, which is unique to the owner and differs from that of the player.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of performing a game in which game values are transferred between an owner and at least one player, comprising the steps of:
a) inputting a player entry request to a game machine in which the game is executed, the player entry request being issued from a game participant who wants to participate in the game as a player;
b) determining an owner from the game participants in accordance with a predetermined owner requirement;
c) receiving a first amount of game values and a player-payout requirement used in the game from the game participant who has issued the player entry request;
d) executing the game while involving the player participated in the step a) and the owner determined in the step b);
e) judging whether the player satisfies the player-payout requirement, after the step e) is finished;
f) paying out a second amount of game values to the player who satisfies the player-payout requirement, the second amount of game values being determined in accordance with the first amount of game values and the player-payout requirement; and
g) paying out at least a part of a total amount of the first game values received in the step c) to the owner, in accordance with a predetermined owner-payout requirement.
Here, the expression xe2x80x9cgame valuesxe2x80x9d means gaming tokens or coins which are gained or lost in accordance with a game result and used in an amusement arcade. When a roulette game is played through use of the game machine according to the present invention, chips or electronic data employed in the roulette game also correspond to game values.